Fiber-liberating machine or break.



T; G. SAXTON. FIBER LIBERATING MACHINE 0R BREAK.

APPLIGATIONIILED OUT. 1 1907.

28,1909. S-SHEBT 1.

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L m m M h k /m 6 V 9 O 4 4 9 4 6d 5 Z m Zia T. G. SAXTON. FIBERLIBBEATING MACHINE 0R BREAK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, 19Q7.

' Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fiz 0672 for (:Td'axioza KW T. G. SAXTON. FIBER LIBERATING MACHINE 0RBREAK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, 1907.

944,509,, Patented Dec. 28, 1909.

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T. G. SAXTON.

FIBER LIBERATING MACHINE on BREAK. APILIOATION FILED OUT. 1, 1907.

944,509. Patented Dec.28,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ANDREW. B, GRAHAM co. Puovoun osumias. WASHINGTON n. c.

. UTTE STATES PATENT ornron- THOMAS G. SAXTON, OF LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY;ASSIGNOR OF'FIFTY-ONE ONE- I-IUNDREDTI-IS TO CHARLES S J. BBONSTON, 0FLEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, AND TWELVE ONE-HUNDREDTI-IS TO JOHN P. lVIcKEEVERAND TWELVE ONE-HUN DREDTHS TO EDWARD L. McKEEVER, OF'FAYETTE COUNTY,KENTUCKY.

FIBER-LIBERATING MACHINE OR BREAK.. 7

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented De 28 1909.

Application filed October 1, 1907. Serial No.. 395,442.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS G. SAXTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky,have invented new and useful Improvements in F iber-Liberating Machinesor Breaks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus or machine for crushing ordismembering the stalk or woody part of hemp, jute, ramie, manila, orother similar fibers, and is in the form of a break with which scutchingrollers may or may not be used.

This apparatus or break is an improvement in part of the type of machinedisclosed by the patent granted to Sandford and Mallory, April 28, 1863,No. 38340, and also embodies improved features with relation to theapparatus or machine disclosed by my Patent 84:5,267, dated February 26,1907. In my Patent 845,267 I have disclosed an apparatus wherein thefinal cleaning of the fiber liberated by crushing or dismembering thestalk or woody part of the material is efi ected by the use'ofcompressed air or gas under high compression and delivered the fiber atsuch point as to thoroughly remove leaves or other parts detrimental tothe use of fiber for textile purposes, and also to completely permeatethe fiber preferably within an inclosure in which the air or gas expandsand is confined in a current thereby.

in the treatment of different materials to liberate'fiber by the use ofcrushing rolls, it has been found that the thicker or heavier ends ofthe stalks entering the pass between the said rolls are subjected to toogreat compression and the fiber is embedded in the stalks or herds andnecessitating an excess of pressure of compressed air or gas to removesaid herds. The patent to Sandford and Mallory, above noted, disclosesspring means cooperating with a part of the rollers to permit suchrollers to automatically accommodate variations in the thickness ofstalks passing therethrough and equalize the spring devices due to arelaxation and dissispring devices. I H H Inlieu of the springdevicesthe present apparatus or machine comprises, among other essentialfeatures, crushing rolls having vertical movement with respect to comorcontrol which is always constant and insures an accurate regulation ofthe pressure of the rolls on the stalks irrespect ve of the volves as anessential improved feature automatically movable compressed air or gasfeeding or delivering elements or plpes the fiber and facilitate theremoval of all thereto when subjected to the compressed air or gastreatment.

willbe hereinafter more fully specified, and wh le the mproved apparatusor machine s shown n preferred form in the accompany invention is not inthe least limited to the exact details of construction andthe use ofadopted within the scope of the invention.

tion of an apparatus or machine embodying the features of the invention.Fig. 2 is a similar view looking toward the opposite side of themachine. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of themachine showing a simplified construction and wherein the scutchingrollers are eliminated. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of a part of themachine and particularly illustrating the compressed air or gas feedingpipes and operating mechview of the inconstancy or variability of thepation of the primal resilientforce of the panion rolls and underpneumatic pressure v thickness of different portions thereof andparticles that may be clinging or adhering The present apparatus ormachine also in which operate to more thoroughly permeate Otheradvantageous details of construc- I tion and arrangement of the severalparts ing drawings, it will be understood that the all equivalents iscontemplated and will be a In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sideelevaanism. F ig. 7 is a detail view of one of the air or gas tubeheads. Fig. 8 illustrates detail views of one of the members or disksembodied in the scutching roller organizations.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates the main supporting frame of suitable width andheight and having in the upper portion of the opposite sides verticalseats or slots 2 arranged in parallel relation to receive the journalboxes 3 and l of upper and lower pairs of rolls 5 and 6. These journalboxes or bearing elements are located at opposite extremities of therolls, the upper pair of rolls 5 and upper journal boxes 3 beingvertically movable for a purpose which will be presently explained. Theupper and lower pairs of rolls 5 and 6 will be provided with suitableteeth, corrugations, or other projecting means to adapt them forcrushing stalks of hemp and other material or growths to liberate thefiber.

Disposed on the main supporting frame 1 is a supplemental frame 7 andvertically fixed on the central portion of the latter frame is acylinder 8 containing a piston 9 from which a piston rod 10 dependsthrough the bottom of the said cylinder. To the top of the cylinder 8 acompressed air feeding pipe 11 is connected and may run to any source ofsupply or air compressing means. The operation of the piston 9, however,is

not limited to the use of compressed air, as

any other fluid medium may be equally well employed. Below the cylinder8 is a 'pres sure bar or member 12, and to the center of the upperportion thereof the lower end of the piston rod 10 is connected by aball and socket joint 13, the ball being formed as a terminal of thesaid piston rod. It will be obvious that the ball and socket connectionbetween the pressure bar or element 12 and the piston rod 10 providesfor a movement of the said bar or element that will be beneficial andadvantageous in equalizing the pressure through the medium of the barand as applied to the piston 9 in the cylinder 8 for a specific objectwhich will be more fully hereinafter set forth. The pressure bar orelement 12 has two pairs of legs 14, one pair of said legs being locatedat each extremity of the bar and engaging the upper journal boxes 3 ofthe upper pair of rolls 5, and by this means an equality of pressure maybe maintained on the said rolls 5 irrespective of the thickness of thestalk passing between the upper and lower pairs of rolls.

The journals of the upper and lower pairs of rolls 5 and 6 at one end ofthe machine respectively have pairs of meshing pinions l5 and 16 thereonfor imparting thereto the proper direction of rotation. The lower set ofpinions 16 continually meshes with a gear 17 forming part of a variablegear mechanism of a known type and operated by a driving shaft 18carrying at one end a disk 19 having a pinion 2O fixed thereon andcontrolling the operation of intermediate gear means 21 and 22 and links23 and 24; between the said pinion 20 and gear 17. The

.function of this variable gear is to modify the speed of the rolls 5and 6 so that during a part of the operation of the latter there will bea slow movement followed by a materially accelerated movement.

As hereinbefore noted, the present machine embodies means for subjectingthe lib erated fiber to the action of compressed air or gas through themedium of pipes or tubes 25 and 26' preferably arranged in verticalalinement and having outlet orifices or openings 27 directed at an angleto each other in reverse direct-ions and toward the rear of the machineso that the compressed air or gas from the upper pipe or tube 25 will befed downwardly and that from the tube or pipe 26 will have an upwardtendency to thoroughly permeate and affect the fiber passing between thetubes or pipes. In the simplified form of the machine as shown in Fig.5, these pipes 25 and 26 will be disposed in operative adjacency to therear vertically alined pair of crushing rolls 5 and 6 and may have afixed position as in the apparatus shown by my patent aforesaid. Thesedelivery tubes or pipes 25 and 26 will have supply pipe means attachedthereto in a manner which will be presently explained in preferred form,and in rear of the tubes or pipes 25 and 26 is a tubular outlet or chute28 of any suitable form in cross-section and into which the compressedair or gas expands and forms a current which carries the fiber treatedand disposes said fiber in the best possible position for cleaningpurposes.

The tubes or pipes 25 and 26 in the preferred construction are mountedin such manner as to have a transverse reciprocation in alternation andare provided with heads 29, each tube or pipe having a dis tinct headsecured to one end thereof. Each head 29 has an inner screw-threadedsocket 30 and an outer projection 31 carrying a stud or pin 32. Thestuds or pins 32 of the two heads 29 are in reverse positions, or thatof the upper head is located at the top of the head and that of thelower head at the bottom, as clearly shown by Fig. 2. The studs or pins32 engage spiral cam grooves 33 of rota ing cams 34 fixed on shafts 35and 36. The heads 29 move transversely in suitable openings 37 in oneside of the main frame 1 and are maintained in proper operativeposition, or prevented from turning, by means of keys 38 engaginggrooves 39 and 40 formed in the heads and adjacent portions of the frameside. By the use of these keys or splines 38 the orifices or openings 27are always held in the angular relation to each other best adapted fordelivering the compressed air or gas to the fiber.

The cam grooves 33 are so arranged in their cams 34 that one head 29 andits tube or pipe will be drawn or moved outwardly and the other tube orpipe and its head will be moved in a reverse direction, this operationcontinuing in alternation, and consequently the compressed air or gasescaping from the tubes or pipes 25 and 26 will be practically broughtinto contact with the fiber in two directions, namely, transversely andlongitudinally and will thereby be more effective in cleaning the fiber.The lower shaft 36 has a sprocket wheel 41. keyed on one extremitythereof and traversed by a chain belt 42 from a sprocket wheel 43 onthedrive shaft 18, the latter shaft having a suitable band pulley 44secured thereto and adapted to be belted to a suitable power source. Theupper shaft 35 is operated from the shaft 36 through the medium ofintermeshing pinions 45 on the ends of the said shafts opposite thelocation of the sprocket wheel 41 on the shaft 36, as clearly shown byFig. 1. It will therefore be understood that the pipes 25 and 26 may ether be fixed as shown by Fig. 5 in the simplified form of the machineor have a transverse reciprocating movement in alternation as shownparticularly by Figs. 2 and 6. The compressed air or gas is supplied tothe ends of the pipes 25 and 26 preferably by flexible pipe connections46 terminally attached to a main supply pipe 47 which may connect withthe same pressure source as the pipe 11 of the cylinder 8 or any othernedium of supply, and also attached to the ends of the pipes 25 and 26opposite the ends on which the heads 29 are secured. The flexibility ofthe pipes 46 compensates for the movement or reciprocation of the pipes25 and 26. The pipes 25 and 26, as hereinbefore indicated, have a passbetween them formed by vertically separating the said pipes a suitabledistance to permit the fiber to move therebetween, the pass being inalinement with the pass between the rear pair of rolls 5 and 6 orbetween scu ching rollers which will be presently specified.

The improved machine will also be preferably equipped with scutchingrollers 48 disposed in vertical alinement and mounted on the shafts 35and 36 carrving the cams 34. The scutching rollers in the pre entinstance are made up of a plurality of disks 49 having oppositeconverging faces 50 to provide reduced peripheral edges, the edges ofthe several disks or members 49 included in the two scutching rollershaving a loose or free intermeshing relation as shown by Fig. 6, or thecontiguous faces of the opposing disks or members are separated withmaterial advantage in the scutching operation. The converged faces 50 ofeach disk or member 49 are formed with. radial corrugations 51, and thesaid corrugated or scalloped faces are within such close relation toeach other that they will efiectively break and clean the fiber passingtherethrough from the crushing rolls 5 and 6. The space between thefaces of the disks or members 49 may be varied to accommodate thetreatment of different kinds of fiber. These scutching rollers arerotated by the shafts carrying the same through the positively actinggearing or driving devices coiiperating with said shafts and the saidscutching rollers will be operated either simultaneously at the samerate of speed or in some instances gears having a differential ratio maybe used to rotate the upper roller at a greater speed than the lowerroller. The use of the compressed. air or gas feeding pipes or tubes inconnection with the scutching rollers results in a very effectiveoperation on the fiber treated, and the compressed air or gas escapingfrom the pipes or tubes, say for example with a pressure of not lessthan forty pounds, causes a suction to be set up which will preventwrapping of the fiber around the said scutching rollers.

From the disclosure of the mechanism herein it is obvious that thereciprocating compressed air or gas feeding pipes may be used with thecrushing rolls 5 and 6 without the scutching rollers for treatingcertain fibers with which the use of the scutching rollers would be adisadvantage or is unnecessary.

The operation of the machine will be fidily understood. The stalk orstalks to be crushed to liberate or release the fiber is or are fed intothe crushing or breaking rolls 5 and 6 from the left side of themachine, the difference in diameter throughout the length of the stalkor stalks being automatically compensated for by the upper verticallymovable rolls 5 under the pressure influence of the bar or element 12controlled by the piston 9 in the cylinder 8 and piston rod 10. Theupper rolls 5 will be normally held down by a pressure on the piston inthe cylinder 8 sufficient to effect a thorough breaking of the reducedportion of a stalk without injury to the fiber or forcing the latterinto the herds, and as the stalk increases in thickness or diameter theupper rolls 5 respond to such increase by moving upwardly against theresistance of the pressure on the piston 9 in the cylinder 8 and thesame crushing force is maintained proportionate to the increase ofthickness of the diameter of the stalk and resistance of the latter tobreakage without pressing the fiber into the herds and with the materialadvantage of a uniformity of crushing pressure throughout the wholelength of the stalk treated irrespective of variation in diameter orthickness of the stalk. As soon as the stalk is clear of the crushing orbreaking rolls 5 and 6 the upper rolls 5 are forced down into normalposition and so maintained until again elevated by engagement withsubsequent stalks having diametrical variations. From the rear pair ofcrushing or breaking rolls 5 and 6, the liberated fiber passes fullybetween the air pipes or tubes 25 and 26 into the outlet inclosure orchute Q8 and becomes thoroughly treated with the compressed air or gasby the latter being brought with full pressure over the fiber and theconfinement of the fiber in a current of the compressed air or gaswithin the said inclosure or chute. After this final cleaning of thefiber by compressed air or gas the operation will be completed underordinary conditions and the fiber will be prepared for use in weavingtextiles. It is obvious, however, that a number of the machines may bedisposed in alinement and the fiber passed through the successivemachines for similar treatment if such operation is found necessary inpreparing certaln classes of fiber.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A machine of the class specified, comprising upper and lower pairs ofcrushing or breakmg rolls, the upper pair of roils being verticallymovable with relation to the lower pair of rolls and a pressure elementwith pneumatic pressure means intermediately cooperating with the same,said element having a plurality of extremities at each end individuallyengaging the opposite extremities of the upper pair of rolls and havingunrestricted movement with the rolls and uniformly transmitting andapplying pressure to the extremities of the rolls from the intermediatepneumatic pressure means.

2. A machine of the class specified, upper and lower pairs of crushingor breaking rolls, the upper pair of rolls being vertically movable, apressure element having extremities engaging the bearings of the upperpair of rolls, and a fluid pressure means movably secured to anddisposed above the intermediate portion of said element and upper pairof rolls and imparting a uniformity of pressure to the extremities ofthe element from a single point of application of the pressure meanswhereby the bearings at the opposite ends of the upper pair of rollshave an equal pressure applied thereto.

3. In a machine of the class specified, upper and lower pairs ofcrushing or breaking rolls, the upper rolls being vertically movable, arocking pressure element having a plurality of extremities engaging theopposite pairs of extremities of the upper pair of crushing or breakingrolls and a single fluid pressure controlled piston disposed over andengaging and cocperating with the intermediate portion of said element.

f. In a machine of the class specified. upper and lower pairs ofcrushing or breaking rolls, the upper rolls being vertically movable,operating mechanism for rotating the rolls, a pressure element disposedover and having a plurality of extremities engaging the opposite pairsof extremities of the upper pair of rolls, the opposite extremities ofthe pressure element having self-rising and falling movements, and asingle fluid pressure controlled piston disposed over and to which thesaid element is movably attached at an intermediate point.

5. In a machine of the class specified, upper and lower pairs ofcrushing or breaking rolls, the upper rolls being vertically movable, apressure element disposed over the upper pair of rolls and havmg aplurality of extremities at opposite sides of its center engaging theextremities of the upper rolls, and a fiuid pressure means arranged overthe said element and having a piston with a piston rod movably connectedto and depending therefrom and movably attached to the intermediateportion of the said pressure element to impart to the extremities of thelatter and the upper rolls a constant uniform pressure irrespective ofthe diameter or thickness of the material passing between the rolls.

. In a machine of the class specified, up-

per and lower pairs of crushing rolls, the upper rolls being verticallymovable, a pressure bar having terminal legs engaging the oppositeextremities of the said upper rolls, and a fluid pressure meanscomprising a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, and a piston roddepending from the piston and connected to the center of the bar by aball and socket joint to permit the said bar to have a rocking movement.

t. In a machine of the class specified, upand lower crushing or breakingrolls, upper rolls being vertically movable, pneumatic means forinstituting a constant and uniform pressure on the upper rolls, aninclcsure in which the material treated is delivered from the saidrolls, and air or gas delivering means in operative relation to therolls within the inclosure and through which the fiber is passed afterleaving the rolls.

8. In a machine of the class specified. upper and lower pairs ofcrushing or breaking rolls, the upper rolls being vertically movable,pressure means engaging the upper pair of rolls and automaticallymovable air or gas delivering devices adjacent to the rolls and throughwhich the fiber is passed for final cleaning purposes.

9. In a machine of the class specified, upper and lower crushing rolls,and reciprocating air or gas delivering means in operative adjacencyto'the said rolls.

10. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls, andalternately reciprocating air or gas delivering devices in operativeadjacency to said rolls.

11. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,reciprocating air or gas feeding devices in operative adja cency to saidrolls, and flexible supply connections for said devices.

12. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,reciprocating compressed air or gas tubes arranged in operativeadjacency to the rolls and provided with orifices arranged at an anglewith re lation to each other, and means for supplying the tubes withcompressed air or gas.

13. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rollsreciprocating compressed air or gas feeding tubes in operative adjacencyto said rolls, heads on the ends of the tubes having projecting means,and grooved cams rotatably mounted adjacent to the said heads, thegrooves of the cams being engaged by the projecting means of the heads.

14. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,reciprocating compressed air or gas feeding means arranged adjacent tothe rolls and having angularly disposed openings therein, and keydevices cooperating with the said feeding means to prevent turning ofthe same.

15. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,reciprocating compressed air or gas feeding means arranged in operativeadjacency to said rolls, and an outlet into which the compressed air orgas is delivered and confined in a current.

16. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,reciprocating compressed air or gas feeding tubes arranged in operativeadjacency to the rolls and provided with grooved heads at one end, aframe, and key devices engaging the grooves of the heads and adjacentportions of the frame.

17. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,scutching rollers in operative adjacency to said rolls, and compressedair or gas delivering means having automatic movement in operativerelation to the scutching rollers.

18. In a machine of the class specified, crushing rolls, scutchingrollers in operative adjacency to the said rolls, and reciprocatingcompressed air and gas feeding devices disposed in operative relation tothe scutching rollers.

19. In a machine of the class specified, I

crushing or breaking rolls, and scutching rollers disposed in operativerelation to the rolls, both of the scutching rollers being rotatable andmade up of a plurality of disks having corrugated faces.

:20. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,and scutching rollers disposed in operative relation to the rolls, bothof the scutching rollers being rotatable and made up of a plurality ofdisks having corrugated faces, the peripheries of the disks of the tworollers having loose intermeshing relation.

21. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls, andscutching rollers disposed adjacent to the rolls and made up of aplurality of disks having converging radially corrugated faces, thereduced peripheries of the disks of the two rollers projectingalternately into the spaces between the same.

22. In a machine of the class specified, crushing or breaking rolls,scutching rollers rotatably disposed in operative relation to the saidrolls, and compressed air or gas feeding means arranged in operativerelation to the scutching rollers and serving as a final cleaning mediumand also to institute a suction with respect to the scutching rollers toprevent the fiber from winding around the latter.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

THOMAS G. SAXTON.

